At this point, as we shall hereafter see, the history of Paul comes into its closest contact with external chronology. Festus, like Felix, has a place in secular history, and he bears a much better character. Upon his arrival in the province he went up without dela}' from Caesarea to Jerusalem, and the leading Jews seized the opportunity of asking that Paul might be iirought up there for trial, intending to assassinate him by the way. But Festus would not comply with their request. He invited them to follow him on his speedy return to Casarea, and a trial took place there, closely resenililing thit before Felix. Festus saw clearly enough that Paul had committed no offence against
the law, but he was anxious at the same time, if he could, to please the Jews. "They had certain ques- tions against him," Festus says to Agrippa, " of their own superstition (or religion), and of one Jesus, who was dead, whom Paul afHvmed to be alive. And be- ing puzzled for my part as to such inquiries, I asked him whether he would go to Jerusalem to be tried there." This proposal, not a very likely one to be ac- cepted, was the occasion of Paul's appeal to Caesar. In dignified and independent language he claimed his rights as a Roman citizen. We can scarcely doubt that the prospect of being forwarded by this means to Rome, the goal of all his desires, presented itself to him and drew him onwards, as he virtually protested against the indecision and impotence of the provincial governor, and exclaimed, "I appeal unto Caesar." Having heard this appeal, Festus consulted with his assessors, found that there was no impediment in the way of its prosecution, and then replied, "Hast thou appealed to Caesar .' To Caesar thou shalt go." Prop- erly speaking, an appeal was wvxAti from the sentence of an inferior court to the jurisdiction of a higher. But in Paul's case no sentence had been pronounced. We must understand, therefore, bj' his appeal, a demand to be tried by the imperial court, and we must suppose that a Roman citizen had the right of electing whether he would be tried in the province or at Rome. See Appeal.
The appeal having been allowed, Festus reflected that he must send with the pi'isoncr a report of " the crimes laid against him." But he found that it was no easj' matter to put the complaints of the Jews in a form which would be intelligible at Rome. He there- fore took advantage of an opportunity which offered itself in a few daj's to seek some help in the matter. The Jewish prince Agrippa arrived with his sister Be- renice on a visit to the new governor. To him Festus communicated his perplexity, together with an ac- count of what had occurred before him in the case. Agrippa, who must have known something of the sect of the Nazarenes, and had probably heard of Paul him- self, expressed a desire to hear him speak. The apos- tle therefore Avas now called upon to bear the name of his Master "before Gentiles and kings." The audi- ence which assembled to hear him was the most digni- fied which he had yet addressed, and the state and ceremony of the scene proved that he was regarded as no vulgar criminal. Festus, when Paul had been brought into the council-chamber, explained to Agrip- pa and the rest of the company the difficulty in which he found himself, and then expressly referred the mat- ter to the better knowledge of the Jewish king. Paul, therefore, was to give an account of himself to Agrip- pa ; and when he had received from him a courteous permission to begin, he stretched forth his hand and made his defence.
In this discourse (Acts xxvi) we have the second explanation from Paul himself of the manner in which he had been led, through his conversion, to serve the Lord Jesus instead of persecuting his disciples ; and the third narrative of the conversion itself. Speaking to Agrippa as to one thoroughly versed in the customs and questions prevailing among the Jews, Paul appeals to the well-known Jewish and even Pharisaical strict- ness of his youth and early manhood. He reminds the king of the great hope which sustained continually the worship of the Jewish nation — the hope of a de- liverer, promised by God himself, who sliould be a conqueror of death. He had been led to see tliat this promise was fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth ; he pro- claimed his resurrection to be the pledge of a new and immortal life. AVhat was there in this of disloyalty' to the traditions of his fathers.' Did his countrymen disbelieve in this Jesus as the Jlessiah.' So had he once disbelieved in him; and had thought it his duty to be earnest in hostilit.y against his name. But his eyes had been opened : he would tell how and when.
PAUL
812
PAUL
The story of the conversion is modified in this address, as we might fairly expect it to be. We have seen that there is no absolute contradiction between the state- ments of this and the other narratives. The main points — the light, the prostration, the voice from heaven, the instructions from Jesus — are found in all three. But in this account, the words "I am Jesus whom thou persecutest" are followed bj' a fuller ex- planation, as if then spoken by the Lord, of what the work of the apostle was to be. The other accounts de- fer this explanation to a subsequent occasion. But •when we consider how fully tlie mysterious communi- cation made at the moment of the conversion included what was afterwards conveyed, through Ananias and in other waj-s, to the mind of Paul ; and how needless it was for Paul, in his present address before Agrip- pa, to mark the stages by which the whole lesson was taught, it seems merely captious to base upon the method of this account a charge of disagreement be- tween the different parts of this liistor}'. They bear, on the contrary, a striking mark of genuineness in the degree in which they approach contradiction without reaching it. It is most natural that a story told on different occasions should be told differently ; and if in such a case we find no contradiction as to the facts, we gain all the firmer impression of the substantial truth of the story. The particulars added to the for- mer accounts bj' the present narrative are, that the words of Jesus were spoken in Hebrew, and that the first question to Saul was followed bj' the saying, " It is hard for thee to kick against the goads." (This say- ing is omitted by the best authorities in the 9th chap- ter.) The language of the commission which Paul says he received from Jesus deserves close study, and will be found to bear a striking resemblance to a pas- sage in Colossians (i, 12-14). The ideas of light, re- demption, forgiveness, inheritance, and faith in Christ, belong characteristically to the Gospel which Paul preached among the Gentiles. Not less striking is it to observe the older terms in which he describes to Agrippa his obedience to the heavenly vision. He had made it his business, he says, to proclaim to all men "that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance" — words such as John the Baptist uttered, but not less truly Pauline. He finally reiterates that the testimony on account of which the Jews sought to kill him was in exact agree- ment with Moses and the prophets. Thej' had taught men to expect that the Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should show light unto the people and to the Gen- tiles. Of such a Messiah Saul was the servant and preacher.